WOODBRIDGE - A day before students throughout Central Jersey are set to participate in events geared toward ending school shootings, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J. 6th District) stopped by Woodbridge High School to discuss his efforts to curb gun violence.

"America's gun violence crisis is not normal — and it's not inevitable," Pallone said in a news release. "Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed by a gun than people in other developed nations. In fact, no other country like ours comes close," Pallone said.

In 2015, New Jersey had 475 firearm deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. told Woodbridge High School students about his efforts to halt gun violence on Tuesday.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Office of U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr.)

"The common theme here is guns," Pallone said. “I am concerned that President Trump, (Education) Secretary (Betsy) DeVos and Republicans in Congress are failing to listen to students throughout this country who are courageously speaking out on gun violence.

"We cannot bring about serious change without actually addressing the availability and capabilities of the weapons that have been used in numerous mass shootings and on our streets."

Pallone said he supports numerous commonsense solutions to reduce gun violence and help keep children safe, including an assault weapons ban, which will ban weapons of war like the AR-15, which has been used in mass shootings in places like Las Vegas, Aurora, Newtown and Parkland, and increasing penalties for “straw purchasers” who illegally purchase firearms with the intent to sell or gift them to individuals who should not have them.

Pallone also supports regulating the sale of firearms at gun shows and online, requiring a background check on all purchases, which is not required in many states; banning high-capacity magazines, regulating the online sale of ammunition, conversion kits (to turn into military-style rifles), and large capacity ammunition feeding devices and allowing the CDC and other government agencies to use federal dollars to research gun violence and gun violence prevention, a move he said the gun lobby and GOP has blocked for more than 20 years.

Last week, Pallone called for additional Energy and Commerce Committee hearings on the American gun violence epidemic, including explorations of who gun violence hurts; whether mass shootings are becoming increasingly deadly; the distribution of guns, ammunition and accessories through e-commerce; whether federal agencies have the resources necessary to exercise effective oversight of such activity; and the extent to which social media may be increasing the hostility surrounding the gun debate.